Chuck vs the Role Models
by chuckaddict
Summary: What was going on in Sarah's head during the mission with the Turners, right after Chuck asked her to move in? How does she react and why does she agree at the end of the episode? My take on what really happened. R&R! -3 chapter story-.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **So this is something that's been bothering me for some time now. In Chuck vs. the Role Models, we see at the end that Sarah agrees to move in with Chuck, but we never got to see what was going through her mind and why she ultimately made that decision, like we got to see in Chuck vs. the Suitcase. I think that episode shows how Sarah realizes that her home is wherever Chuck is and I wanted to do the same with this one. I'm sorry if I ruin this for you. I honestly hope I don't.

This is my first fic ever, so any tips or advices of any kind, along with criticism are well received. English is not my first language so, please, feel free to correct any mistakes I made. Also, I apologize for the chapters' length, but I seem to have a problem about getting to the point.

Obviously, I own nothing.

_**Chuck vs. the Role Models**_

_**Chapter One**_

Sarah Walker was not a normal person. She had a dangerous and exciting job and nothing in her life was simple. Nothing, until three weeks ago. Three weeks that passed so fast she couldn't believe it. Of course, two of them were like a vacation –technically they weren't cause they've been off the grid and then tried to run away from the CIA – but she'd never had a better time in her life. She was with Chuck. She was with the man she loved. And the man that loved her back. She had never been happier in her entire life.

And now, she was sitting in the couch, cuddled against him, her head resting in his shoulder and watching a movie, although she wasn't really paying attention – she was distracted by how good their laced fingers felt, his arm around her shoulders, his steady breath and his sweet scent. It was a miracle, she thought. She was not used to get what she wanted but now she had it, and even more. She always wanted to be with him, almost since the beginning, but being with him was so much better than she had imagined. He was the man of her dreams. She smiled to herself. The old Sarah Walker would've never admitted –not even to herself – something like that.

She hugged him, pulling him closer and he looked down to her. She smiled and he flashed her that huge grin that made her go weak at the knees. She looked at the tv and noticed that the movie was over. She sighed, stood up and said "I should probably go now". "Why?" he asked, standing up too. "Cause I gotta get some sleep and we have to be early at work tomorrow". "Stay", he said. She looked at him again and then she spoke "Chuck, I don't have any clothes here, I can't stay…" "I can lend you something to sleep and we can get up early tomorrow and stop by your hotel room for you to change".

She couldn't help by smile. Since they got back from Paris she only slept in her hotel room twice, and that was only cause he agreed to come with her. She couldn't bear the thought of not waking up next to him and she knew he felt the same. But she also had no right to ask him to cut his sleep short only so she could have everything. She reach out for him and kissed him softly on the lips. "Thanks for the offer, Chuck, but I can't let you do that" "I don't mind as long as you're here with me" he interrupted and then kissed her passionately. When they broke the kiss they were both reaching for air. "Chuck, you're not making this any easier…" she said, feeling a little dizzy after the kiss. "That's because I don't want to, Sarah" and with that, he kissed her again, taking his time, trying to show her with his lips all that he felt for her, trying to make her understand how much he loved her. He broke the kiss and whispered one more time "Stay". And this time, she didn't say no.

Sarah Walker was in a bad mood. She didn't get to sleep much the past night and she was determined to blame Chuck. Of course she knew that wasn't fair, especially since she was the one keeping them both awake for most of the night but if she would've been in her cold, lonely hotel room by her own like she wanted to –yeah, right –, she could at least keep her eyes open and complete the very boring paperwork she was supposed to do. It had been a very quiet week, they'd only had two missions, but nothing really challenging. It seemed that, for once, bad guys had decided to give Team Bartowski a break. Seeing that she wasn't accomplishing much giving her lack of focus and her sleepy state, she decided to head out earlier.

She stopped by the Buy More to set the details of her date with Chuck later that night and then went to her home. _Hotel room_, she corrected herself. Even after telling Chuck that Burbank was the only place that ever felt like home to her –which was saying a lot, since she'd lived in several places in her life – she couldn't think of that small- extremely green room as her home. Sure, she liked it and she felt comfortable enough to live in it for the past 3 and a half years, but, to be honest it wouldn't be her first pick as a place to live in. She was more an apartment complex kind of girl. And if it came with a fountain, much better. _Ok, stop_, she said to herself when she realized what she was thinking about. She and Chuck were not there yet. _Not at all_.

When she finally arrived at her hotel room, she took a short nap. After her shower, she changed and packed a bag with a change of clothes, cause she was planning on staying at Chuck's.

The dinner went great, they talked, they laughed, they held hands and shared intimate glances, enjoying each other's company. And, of course, when they got to his place, things only got better.

It was now 2 am and Chuck was asleep. She could feel his even breathing in the silence of the night. Suddenly, she felt thirsty. Disentangling herself from her sleeping boyfriend's loving embrace, she headed out the bedroom. When she was about to open the door, she remembered that they weren't alone, so she put her panties and her sleeping tank top on and went to the kitchen. Three minutes later, she was thanking her spies instincts when she heard Morgan coming into the kitchen saying something about an incredible dream, clearly thinking she was Chuck. After a very weird –and very awkward – moment involving orange juice, rambling about vitamins and not so inconspicuous staring at her not so covered body, she got back to bed, snuggled against her boyfriend and got to sleep.

When the alarm clock went off, she opened her eyes and noticed Chuck was watching her with that huge grin of his. She melted. He kissed her forehead and whispered "Good morning" into her ear, while tightening her arms around her. She kissed him passionately and smiled at him as well. It was his turn to melt now.

Eventually, they got out of bed, and she was in the bathroom applying her makeup when she heard him leave to the kitchen.

She smiled when she finished and looked herself in the mirror. She can barely recognize herself. She was simply glowing. There was no other way to describe it, and she knew the reason. In fact, the reason was waiting for her to carpool to work. So she gave the mirror one last look and headed to the dining room.

She could hear Chuck and Morgan discussing something about Valkyries and pajamas, but what really caught her attention was Chuck saying "I think you can pretty much count on Sarah being here every night because I'm about to ask her if she wants to move in". He had her back to her, so he had no idea she'd just walked in, but Morgan looked at her and said "Ok, well, you two probably have a lot to talk about…" and left.

She cleared her throat and Chuck finally turned around. Knowing that she'd probably heard it all, he gave her a huge smile, saying "Hi. I was gonna surprise you… take you out tonight's dinner and give you your own… key. But… how'd you like to move in?".

Panic. "Why would we do that?" the words left her mouth before she even had the time to process what was going on. She knew it was the wrong thing to say when she saw his face fall. "Why? Well, because I figured since you're sleeping here most nights anyway…"

She went to chuck her purse "We're not a normal couple so why do we need to pretend we have a normal life?". She was freaking out big time now. "Who's pretending…?". Now he did seem pretty hurt. She cursed herself and her non existing talking abilities. "Ok, I… I didn't mean it like that", she tried to explain, "I love working with you, and I love being with you, so why mess with a good thing, right?".

Great, now she was just drawing attention to the fact that she hadn't really told him "I love you" yet. Not because she didn't but because she was lousy with words. Clearly.

She leaned in and gave him a quick kiss. "We can talk more after work". And with that, she went to look for one of the guns she had stashed under the couch cushions. "Right, yeah… Yeah, we'll talk more after work", she heard Chuck babbling, "'cause I know how good… thing… this is. What are you doing?"

"Well, I left my gun in my hotel room…". She could see he was not happy .

"No, what are you doing storing your guns in my couch? Morgan… Morgan could find those!".

Now that was just ridiculous, she wasn't allowed to have a backup gun at his place? "What, you've not heard of the thirty foot rule?", she asked.

"As a matter of fact, no, I have not"

"A good agent should never be without a backup weapon"

"Well, have you ever heard of the Bartowski rule? No firearms in my apartment?"

"Well, not if you wanna live with a spy". She knew it was kind of low, but at least it would win her the guns argument. She smiled brightly at him and headed to the door, leaving him with a dumbstruck look on his face. After a couple of minutes, she and Chuck were on their way to work.

When they arrived to Castle, General Beckman called to give them a new mission. Casey would be training Morgan and she and Chuck were supposed to _watch and learn_ _from the best couple the CIA had ever produced_, according to the General's words.

She could tell Chuck was really excited about this, but she most definitely wasn't. They had been reduced to observers of these two people that they didn't even know. Ok, yes, they had an incredible record and even she couldn't deny that they seemed pretty great in paper, but come on, her own spy team wasn't any short than great either. So when they were waiting for the Turners at Chuck's place and he couldn't stop pacing and rearranging things over and over again, she couldn't help but feeling a little annoyed by his actions.

"Would you _please _sit down? You're making me nervous!". She was sitting in the couch, legs crossed and a drink in her hand.

"The Turners are gonna be here any minute" he said, while he kept moving things around.

"What, you've never met a CIA agent before?", she asked, a little irritated about the big fuss he was making.

"You… What… Come on! You heard Beckman, this guys are the best of the best, they're a superspy couple, I don't want them thinking we're a couple or rooks!".

She sighed and ignored his last comment. Sarah Walker was no _rook_ and she was going to make that crystal clear in no time.

Suddenly, they heard someone talking in the backyard and Chuck rushed to the door mumbling "They're here!".

She had to admit, even though she didn't share his excitement at all, he was kinda cute when he was all nervous. So she just smiled and went to the door too. She put an arm around Chuck's waist and he opened the door. She heard the man telling something to his wife, but she didn't pay much attention.

"Look Sarah, that's us in thirty years". Her smile faltered a little when she heard those words coming out of Chuck's mouth.

**A/N**: if you liked this, or if you hated it, please review.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Thank you so much for the reviews and the story alerts and favorites! Here's part two of this story. Hope you like it. Obviously, I own nothing.

_**Chapter Two**_

The meeting with the Turners was… interesting, to say the least. Turns out, they had been married and divorced, and married and divorced and married again. _Not exactly the best role models_, Sarah thought. Chuck, on the other hand, couldn't be more excited.

They were going to a party that night and the Turners were going to break into the master suite and retrieve the decryption program the host had created and intended to sell at the party.

She went home after the meeting, leaving her thrilled boyfriend at his apartment. When she got to her hotel room, she took a long hot shower, dried her hair, did her makeup and proceeded to pick a dress for the night. After much deliberation, she decided to wear a new short black one that she had bought recently. After she was all set, she went to pick up Chuck.

He was looking incredibly dapper in his tux and he greeted her with a long, soft kiss on the lips.

They met with the Turners outside the house, as they had agreed before, and after a rather rude comment from Craig's part that made her narrow her eyes a little –about telling people that she was their niece, instead of Chuck their nephew – they got in.

She and Chuck were supposed to stay away from Otto, the host and the bad guy of the night, and his guards, so they headed to a secluded table with their drinks and kept their eyes on the other spy couple.

Chuck was amazed. "See? Consummated professionals!" he said "I mean, what do you think makes them such a great spy team?".

Sarah did not share his enthusiasm. "Uh… a lifetime of training?", she answer sarcastically.

"Very funny" said Chuck, not really amused. "I'm talking about them being a couple. I honestly can't believe the CIA doesn't hire more of us".

"They're not that great"

"Oh, don't be jealous…!".

Jealous? About what? She was the best, she had nothing to be jealous about. "I'm not jealous, I'm just saying they're not that great".

She didn't understand what Chuck saw in these people. Sure, they were pretty good, but seriously… Chuck interrupted her line of thought when he said

"Sarah, we… uh, we may have a sly problem…". She looked ahead and saw Otto approaching them. Before he could reach them, the Turners got in his way and started talking to him. After a few minutes they all went in the opposite direction.

"Textbook subversion. Not bad". Even Sarah had to admit that had been close.

"You know, we could took take a page out of the Turners playbook" Chuck turned to look at her, smiling seductively while leaning down to meet her lips. Sarah smiled too, but she stepped back at the last moment. "You're not gonna ask me to move in with you again, are you?", she eyed him suspiciously.

"No, wha… well, not now, maybe later". Sarah couldn't help the smile that formed in her lips and gave him a quick kiss. After that, she laced her arm with his and, since Otto was nowhere to be seen, they started walking around the place, trying to find the Turners.

"Well, I'm not sure where the Turners went" Chuck said, looking at her.

"Maybe they already made their move", she answered. Then she saw Chuck looking behind her. She followed his line of sight and saw Mrs. Turner at the bar.

"I thought she said she didn't drink" said Chuck, remembering she had actually said that that afternoon.

"Yeah…" Sarah took his hand and headed where Mrs. Turner was being repeatedly _hit_ by the bartender.

"Hi… hi, Mrs. Turner! Sarah and I were just wondering if the mission was still going according to the plan"

"Is, uh, is something wrong?" asked Sarah, looking rather impatient.

"Her" said Mrs. Turner, pointing ahead with her chin. Chuck and Sarah turned and saw Mr. Turner flirting with a girl by the stairs.

"It's disgusting" Mrs. Turner continued, "the man's old enough to be her father".

"Perhaps he's just giving her some fatherly advice…" Sarah had to roll her eyes at Chuck's comment. It was pretty clear to anyone watching the scene that that was not was going on. At all. But, to prove it, Mrs. Turner turned on the mic in her watch so they could hear too. "Bastard left his mic on".

Sarah's eyes widened at what she heard. The man was really a pig.

"He's nothing but a CIA sanctioned gigolo" said Mrs. Turner.

"Oh… you don't mean that" as always, Chuck was trying to see the best in things, although it was impossible this time.

Mrs. Turner slammed the glass against the bar and started to walk away.

"Oh… where, uh, where are you going?" asked Chuck.

"Upstairs, to steal the software. At least one of us is still a professional" and with that, she turned around, missed the step and landed on the floor.

A small crowd gathered and Mr. Turner rushed to where they were. "I'll handle this" said, trying to pick her up not so gently.

She hit him and yelled at him "Get your hands off me" among other things. They started fighting in front of the people, and suddenly, they were both on the floor screaming at each other.

Sarah couldn't believe it. They were supposed to be the best spy couple in the CIA, and here they were, drawing attention to themselves and making a big scene in the middle of the mission.

"We should get out of here before they blow all of our covers". While the Turners were still fighting and yelling to each other on the floor, Chuck asked "What about the software?". She smiled and looked at him "Let's show the Turners how it's done".

They went upstairs, located the main bedroom and got in. Sarah was looking for the software in the nightstand and Chuck was _playing_, for the lack of a better word, with a whip he had found on the bed, when she suddenly saw _it_ behind the door.

"Chuck" she whispered. "Yeah?" "Put the whip down". "Wha…" Chuck turned around and saw the tiger coming out of the closet. It climbed to the bed and stood there, staring at them. It didn't seem very happy with the two intruders he'd found on his master's bedroom, and it showed them its teeth. Sarah started to freak out.

"Chuck"

"Mmmhmm?"

"Run!". They locked themselves in the closet. Chuck filled her in the information he'd got from his last flash: the software was in the tiger's collar.

"If I just had my tranq gun…". She was pulling her very real –albeit kind of tiny gun – out of her purse when he said "No, no, that's not a tranq gun! I'm not letting you shoot a tiger! They're endangered and they're majestic!"

"You have any better ideas?" Sarah was getting annoyed really fast. First, their assigned _role models_ made a scene in front of everybody, and now, she was trapped in a closet, trying her best not to be eaten by a freaking tiger with who was apparently, their biggest fan.

"I think what we need to be asking ourselves is 'what would the Turners do?'". She gave Chuck a dirty look and had to restrain herself form punching some sense into him. Instead, she chose the _civil_ approach.

"How can you possibly say that? The only reason we're now trapped here is because of their lack of professionalism! They are the ones that got us into this mess"

"Ok, ok, the Turners aren't perfect, I'm willing to modify my opinion"

"She's a drunk and he's a philanderer. As a team, they're a total mess!"

"Oh, come on! They're not completely without their charms… I mean, there could be worse people that we could turn into". She really didn't understand why Chuck kept defending them, even after the mess they'd gotten them into.

"I'd rather be eating alive by a tiger! Speaking of, I'm done waiting around for Otto to find us. Let's get the software and get out of here!"

"Shhh, shh, shh…", Chuck interrupted her, "I've heard that noise before… sounds like…"

It sounded like snoring. Ok, a tiger's snoring, but still. She grabbed her gun and they peeked into the room. The tiger was sound asleep in its master's bed. They got out of the closet and started to fight about who was going to retrieve the collar.

"Ok, give me the gun, I'll cover ya…".

Sarah Walker was not afraid of many things and she would do anything to protect the man she loved. But a huge tiger with terrible teeth and giant claws didn't exactly bring the brave out of her.

"No, no, no, no… I'll cover you, you get the collar"

"No, trust me, you have that feline instinct…"

"I know how to use a gun better than you do!"

"See? Still don't think that's a great idea…"

"Just do it!"

"Ok, fine!"

Chuck finally kneeled on the bed and took the collar off the tiger.

And then he sneezed. Damn him and his allergies!

They run out the door and she finally closed it –with a terrified scream that she was definitely not proud of – leaving the tiger inside the room.

"Why didn't you shoot it? It was about to eat me!", said a breathless Chuck.

"You said he was majestic!"

"Well, he is a little majestic". And with that, they stored the collar in Sarah's purse and headed to the stairs. They looked for the Turners but there was no sign of them at the house, so they figured they must've left after the scandal they'd made.

Once they left the house, Chuck said "Here's the deal: we'll call the Turners from the road". He never got the chance to finish, as the Turners showed up at that exact moment.

"Impressive. You know, I didn't think they had it in them" said Mrs. Turner, pointing her gun at Chuck and Sarah.

"What are you guys doing?" asked Chuck, a little shakily.

"We are teaching you a little something about spying"

"Lesson one: trust no one. Except your partner, of course" Mr. Turner chimed in, as he took Sarah's purse and grabbed the tiger's collar. "We'll take Otto's software".

"What? No, no, you're the Turners! You can't be doing this to us!". Even when they were pointing a gun at his face, Chuck was having a hard time processing what was going on.

"Don't feel bad, Charles. We're the best at this".

Explaining what had happened to Beckman was a little difficult. She wasn't very willing to accept such greats spies had gone rogue.

"The Turners are two of the most decorated spies in the CIA! There must be some explanation for their behavior. I suggest you find it".

With their new orders, Chuck and Sarah headed back to his apartment. They hadn't slept that night and Chuck was not in the best mood.

"Great, this is just great! This is, this is perfect! Not only did the Turners sell us out, but they make us look like complete amateurs in the process". He grabbed the sponge, turned on the water and started washing the previous day glasses.

"Chuck, why are you doing dishes?". Sarah was really surprised with his behavior. Of all the things she would've expected him to do, doing dishes wasn't even on the list.

"Please, I'm a Bartowski. This is what we do to deal with stress: we clean".

A little amused by that, but not fully understanding his demeanor, Sarah tried to be the comprehensive girlfriend "Ok, I can see that you're upset"

"I am upset! The Turners were supposed to be our role models and instead they turned out to be this cold hearted, double-crossing traitors. And now, now, you're never gonna move in with me".

_So this was what this is about_, Sarah thought.

"Chuck! We're not the Turners!"

"Yeah, I know, but I kind of like the idea that we could become them".

Of course he did. He had all their lives planned. Even if it freaked her out a little –maybe a little too much – it was kind of sweet. He wanted to be with her, and grow old with her. And, if she was honest with herself, she wanted the exact same thing. She knew Chuck was it for her, but she never actually told him that. Instead, she hadn't even told him she loved him and rejected him when he asked her to move in. She was finally starting to understand why this mission was so important to him: he wanted to prove her it was doable. That they could be together and work together and be awesome at it. She was finally starting to understand that he had taken her rejection as a statement that they could never have it all. She felt like kicking herself. But that would have to wait.

She took a step closer to him and said "Well, right now, we really need to focus on finding them".

"Sarah, how? The Turners have been spying for thirty years. They've got dozens of aliases and a million different places they can disappear to". He had turned to face her and lifted a cherry from the Manhattan glass Mr. Turner had used the day before. "Whatever beach they are right now, I hope that Mr. Turner's enjoying his perfect little Manhattan".

Sarah frowned as she remembered the Turners talking about how great that drink was at…

"The Grand Ambassador!"

"What?"

"He said last night that the Grand Ambassador was the only place in Los Angeles that had the right kind of cherries!"

"Hold, hold on a second! Hold on… you don't actually think they're still hanging around here, do you?" Chuck didn't look too convinced.

"Well, they might, if they already had a buyer for the software. They picked the wrong couple to stab in the back" she said, grabbing her gun "This is how _I_ deal with stress". And with that, she turned to leave.

Chuck stood there for a second, not sure if he should be afraid or turned on. "Here we go", he mumbled, and followed his girlfriend to wherever she was going.

As he suspected, Sarah parked the car in front of the Grand Ambassador. Once they were in, she headed straight to the reception desk and asked if there was someone who had ordered a Manhattan. She said her aunt and uncle just got into town and she wanted to surprise them. The receptionist smiled kindly at her and gave her the number of the Turners room. Sarah thanked her and asked her to send a Manhattan to the room with a note that said "Compliments of the Bartowskis".

Chuck had to make a big effort to hide the huge smile that threatened to split his face when he heard her say that. That gave him some hope about their future. _Maybe she's still thinking about_ _the whole moving in thing_, he thought. However, he didn't have much time to think about it, as Sarah was dragging him outside so they could climb to the balcony. Just when they heard Mr. Turner open the door and taking advantage of the fact that Mrs. Turner was with her back to the window, they sneaked in and Sarah grabbed Mrs. Turner's abandoned gun.

"Darling, do we know any Bartowski…?" Mr. Turner's face fell when he saw Sarah, who was now pointing two guns at them and Chuck, arms crossed standing right next to her.

"How did you ever find us?" Mr. Turner wanted to know.

"You're the only room that ordered twelve Manhattans". Sarah couldn't help the proud smile that crept into her face.

"We learned from the best", said Chuck, as he winked at them.

**A/N:** so… verdict so far? Let me know with you review! Only one more chapter to go!


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** First of all, thanks for the story alerts and favorites and for taking the time to review. It means a lot. Second of all, sorry for the last chapter, I know some of you felt like it wasn't introspective enough and you are right. It was pretty difficult, because we all know how professional Sarah is and how she compartmentalizes things, so I figured she wouldn't be thinking about her personal life too much until it was finally over. I hope I did better this time.

Final chapter. Again, I own nothing.

_**Chapter three**_

After Chuck cuffed the Turners, he and Sarah led them to the car. They headed back to Chuck's apartment and made them sit at the table. Sarah was pissed, true, but Chuck was plain disappointed. It hurt her to see him like this, pacing around the dining room and with such a sad look in his eyes.

"Let's not let ourselves get carried away here, Charles!" Mr. Turner broke the silence.

Sarah was standing at the other end of the table while Chuck kept pacing.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Mr. Turner, is that what you think? That I'm getting carried away? "

"How did you think we would react after what you did? " Sarah was sick of this mission and sick of the couple currently cuffed in front of her.

"What have we really done at this point, Sarah? We didn't sell Otto's software, so technically we're not yet traitors. Am I correct?"

"It was his idea to steal it" apparently, Mrs. Turner was now joining the conversation.

Sarah turned to Chuck with a look of disbelief on her face. Now they were blaming each other? What was wrong with these people?

"He forced me to act like a drunk at the party. I only wish his lecherous Lothario routine was an act"

"She's lying! I wanted to bring the software back. It was her idea to sell it on the black market"

And, just like that, they were yelling at each other again. Chuck couldn't take it anymore.

"Quiet! " Sarah jumped when she heard him scream. He never did that, so he was probably very frustrated at the moment.

"Enough, ok? It is one thing to betray your agency, it is another to betray your partner. You were supposed to come here and teach us! Teach us how to be a great spy couple" he had Sarah's full attention now. He was so disappointed in these people and the way he was talking told her that he would never do such thing. Chuck had tons of virtues, but one of the best was his loyalty to those who he loved. She knew right then that she could always count on him, he was never going to let her down.

"You really think we're that bad? " Mr. Turner asked.

"Only because you were once great, yeah".

Mrs. Turner turned to face her husband "We were great, remember?"

"Check back with me in thirty years, Charles. The CIA has a way of breaking young idealists. Especially if they're in love".

Sarah could've just kicked Mr. Turner for saying that just after the realization struck her, but instead, she looked at Chuck, worried that his words had affected him. She sighed when there was a knock in the door.

"Good, the marshals are here!"

Chuck peaked out the window and shook his arms to catch her attention.

"It's Otto!" They heard a loud roar. Chuck looked through the peephole. "And his pussycat"

Freaking out, Chuck asked, "How, how did your good friend Otto find us? Did you two sell us out again?"

"The collar has a tracking device" answered Sarah, after taking a close look at it.

"Alright, where do you keep your backup guns?" Mrs. Turner intervened.

Seeing Chuck's face, Mr. Turner added "Surely you've heard of the thirty foot rule, Charles…"

Silently thanking Sarah's professionalism and fondness to her weapons, he went to the couch to retrieve the guns she'd put there.

"Yeah… time to flash" Whispering, he opened the box and… found nothing. It was empty.

Sarah was fuming. Of course she had been right stashing the weapons in the couch! She should've listened to her spy instincts and not that stupid Bartowski rule of his! It was going to be hard to get out of this one.

Chuck stood up and laughing nervously said "No guns, no flash. Honey, darling, would you mind telling me what you've done with our small cache of weapons?"

"I got rid of them, sweetheart" she wasn't about going to let him blame this on her.

"You actually listened to me?" it would've been touching if it wasn't so inconvenient at the moment. He'd actually thought she would keep them no matter what he said.

"I can't quite believe it myself" -but she definitely regretted it now.

"What have you done with the gun that you had in the hotel?"

"I left them in the car!"

"Why would you do that?"

"Because you told me to!"

They heard the Turners sigh and Mr. Turner's "Rookies".

Sarah turned around angrily, but before she could do or say anything, Chuck told her "You take care of them I'll take care of Otto".

So she led them to the bathroom and left them cuffed in the tub, ignoring Mrs. Turner saying "You're making a big mistake!" as she walked away.

When she went back to the living room, she found both Otto and the tiger in the apartment, along with two of his bodyguards.

"What's uh… what's going on?" asked Chuck.

"Who are you, people?" she chimed in, standing next to him.

"You know exactly who I am. The question is, who are you?"

"Wait a minute, you're the guy! Baby, this is the guy! With the, with the mansion up in the hills!" whatever Chuck was doing, it would give her some time to plan her next move, so she followed his lead.

"Oh, oh, I told you this would happen! I'm so sorry, my boyfriend thinks that is really funny to crash rich people's parties" she said, with a small fake laugh.

"Where are the two CIA agents you're hiding?"

"I'm sorry, what?" now Chuck didn't sound so confident, as he put a protective arm around her shoulders. She found his touch very calming, even in the current situation.

"I believe you know them as Mr. and Mrs. Turner?"

"I'm uh, I'm a little confused right here… why would CIA agents be in our apartment?"

"Because this isn't a real apartment. This is a CIA safe house, and you two are not a real couple. You are spies". _Well, he got right one out of two_, Sarah thought.

"Ahhhhh… I'm onto you! This is a practical joke, isn't it?" Chuck looked at her as he kept improvising "I bet this is from your brother. Ok, yeah… oh, you're a spy, honey". It was kind of pointless, because clearly, Otto wasn't believing them, but she faked a laugh and kept talking anyway. "Oooh, scary spies!"

"You know what? I've always felt like I've got a James Bond-y thing going on about me…"

"You do!"

"You could be like, uh, Octopussy or something like that"

"Oh, yeah"

"Now you're being really insulting" said Otto interrupting their desperate intents to make him buy Chuck's crazy story. "Listen, whoever you are all I ask is that you hand over the Turners. You have until the count of _drei_". He pulled out his gun and pointed it to Chuck.

"_Eins, zwei_…"

"Stop! Please stop… with the countdown. If I could just have a brief sidebar with my girlfriend, that would be great". To their relieve, Otto lowered his gun.

"Good, thanks!" They turned around, their back to Otto now "These guys really take it seriously. This is very good though. Very real!" said Chuck as they walked away from him.

"I say we hand them over!" he whispered.

"We can't do that!"

"Why not? They sold us out!"

"Because then we'd be no better than the Turners"

"Well, maybe they're right. Maybe we're going to end up just like them, a couple of traitors".

It saddened her to hear those words coming of Chuck's mouth. Especially when now she felt so strongly that they could make it work.

"You really believe that?" she looked at him. She had to know if he was serious. She looked into his eyes and saw the answer before he gave her a little smile and said "No". They knew what they had to do now. They turned around to face Otto again.

"I'm sorry, sir, but I, I really don't think we can help ya…"

"I'm sorry to hear that" he said, pointing his gun at him again. At the same time, they heard a roar coming from the bathroom.

"Guard them" Otto told to his guard, as he went to see what his pet had found.

"Uh, I don't think that kitty litter box is big enough" Chuck tried to joked.

"It appears your guests left in a hurry" said Otto as he came back, holding the now empty handcuffs and ordering one of his men to take the tiger outside.

"This is unbelievable! The turners had left us holding the bag again?"

"I can assure you, this will be the last time" he said, aiming his gun at Chuck for the third time in the night.

"Woah, woah, woah, Otto, hold on a second! Clearly, the Turners have betrayed us both, that means we're all on the same side here, so put your guns down and let us help you hunt down those backstabbing bastards. They're the lowest of the low, ok? CIA scum…" Chuck never got to finish his rant as the backdoor opened, and the Turners appeared.

"Let them go, Otto" ordered Mrs. Turner, pointing her gun at him.

"But, they are not without their moments!" added a very relieved Sarah.

"It's us you want, we've got the software" continued Mrs. Turner.

"What are you two doing?" Chuck didn't know what was happening anymore.

"Showing we're not traitors, Charles" said Mr. Turner.

Suddenly, they heard a loud roar coming from outside the apartment, and Otto got distracted. "Sasha!"

That was all it took. Chuck flashed and Sarah noticed. Together they took Otto and his guard down, leaving them unconscious on the floor and taking their guns in just a few moves. They turned to where the Turners were still standing, aiming their guns at them.

"We have to bring you in, you know I can't let you go" Sarah was the first to break the silence.

"That's funny. I would've said the same thing thirty years ago" said Mrs. Turner.

"After what we did you would've shot us dead where we stand", pointed Mr. Turner.

"Which would be perfectly justifiable" Chuck lowered his gun. "And yet unnecessary, wouldn't you agree, Sarah?" She looked at him. She knew what he was going to say next, and even though more than ten years in the CIA told her otherwise, she knew he was right. "After all, they did save us".

When Mr. Turner took his wife's guns and said "Sorry, darling, it's over", she finally lowered hers. She watched as they hugged each other and he comforted her. She couldn't help but think that even with all the crap they have been through, they still genuinely cared for each other.

It was now time for the debrief with Beckman. She couldn't be happier about the success of their mission. But then, they heard her say…

"And now, on to the subject of the Turners and their actions…"

Chuck stepped up from where he was standing behind Sarah's chair and started to speak "Actually, General, if I might be able to say something on behalf of the Turners…"

Standing up too, Sarah intervened "General…"

"No, Sarah, I think I…"

"No, Chuck, it's ok, I got it. The Turners double-cross was actually a triple-cross: by stealing the software from us they were able to lure Otto into a trap and we were able to capture him. It was a daring bit of spy craft".

Beckman was pleased, and, by the looks of it, she totally bought the story Sarah had just fed her. "I wouldn't expect nothing less from the Turners"

Sarah and Chuck shared a look after that.

"I just hope that you and agent Bartowski were able to learn something from these two exemplary operatives".

"As a matter of fact, General, yes, working with the Turners was quite… humbling" said Chuck, smiling at them.

"You must be ready to move on to your next assignment" Beckman addressed to the Turners.

"Thanks, but no, thanks, General" said Mr. Turner.

"Excuse me?"

"No more assignments" he looked smiling at his wife. Sarah and Chuck had both confused looks on their faces.

"What my husband means to say is, we're retiring" said a happy-looking Mrs. Turner.

"But you can't just walk away, you're the best of the best, who will possibly take your place?" Beckman sounded truly preoccupied.

The Turners didn't say anything, but looked pointedly at Chuck and Sarah.

"You… are you sure… really? I mean, thank you…" Chuck was babbling now, just like he always did when he got flustered. They heard Beckman finish the call in the back and the Turners stood up.

"Watch each other's back, you two" said Mrs. Turner.

"And I wish you two many happy marriages" added Mr. Turner, winking at them.

Sarah's eyebrows shot up, and Chuck didn't say anything as they watched them leave.

Suddenly, she couldn't help but feel that a huge weight had been lifted of her shoulders. She smiled brightly at Chuck and he corresponded her with a proud smile of his own. She wrapped her arms around his waist and kissed him, trying to show him all she was feeling at that moment. She reluctantly broke the kiss and said "I have to go".

He wanted nothing more than make her stay, or better yet, ask her to move in with him again. He would beg, even, if that would make her change her mind. He was convinced they would be great together, but he knew he had to let her go.

Sarah could see in Chuck's eyes that he was desperately trying not to ask her to stay, but she knew he wasn't going to pressure her. That only made her love him more. With one last smile, she walked away from him.

As she got out of Castle and walked to her car, she thought about the wonderful man she was proud to call her boyfriend. Ever since the beginning of their cover relationship, he had always been patient with her. In fact, for the most part of the first two years, the only real thing he knew about her was that she'd been raised by a conman; and even when she'd given him the chance to ask, he'd told her he didn't need to know. She knew he was dying to ask her millions of questions, but he respected her and her privacy more. Sure, sometimes he'd gotten a little frustrated and broke up with her, but honestly, how many times had she thought about asking for a reassignment? The only thing that kept her from doing so was her love for him.

She'd tried to deny it since he smiled at her for the first time. That was when she knew this was going to be no ordinary mission. And finally, after so much pain, frustration, horrible decisions made by both of them, and yes, some tears too, they were together, and she truly happy for the first time in her life. And part of that happiness was because she knew she made Chuck happy, and making him happy was the new goal of her life since they had gotten together.

So, if she was going to fulfill that goal, she thought to herself as she got into her car, there was one logical step she'd have to take.

She was in her hotel room in no time. She closed the door behind her and didn't even bother to look around as she grabbed her suitcases and tossed them on the bed.

She started packing all of her clothes –not that they were too many, since most of them were already packed –. _You never know when the new mission is gonna be_.

She went to the bathroom to retrieved her things and pack them as well. Once she made sure every one of her belongings was in a suitcase, she sat on the bed and turned to the nightstand. She smiled at the picture that was on it.

She and Chuck had taken it at Palms Spring, when they went looking for Roan. Chuck had insisted he needed it to sell the cover to his sister, so she'd agreed. He was hugging her from behind and she had the biggest smile she had ever seen in her own face. Even then, when things were so complicated and full of angst, they looked like a real couple. She run her fingers through it and finally put it in one of the bags.

She stood up and saw her reflection staring back at her. She suddenly remembered all the times she had spent hours in front of that mirror trying to look her best, secretly hoping her efforts would elicit a compliment from certain nerd.

She thought of the time Chuck had showed up with a pizza and an apology for not trusting her in one of their first missions, and had told her how desperately he wanted to know something real about her. And that other time when he'd knocked at her door just to find out that Bryce was back, and leave with a sad look in his eyes.

She remembered the day after her high school reunion, and how sweet he'd been, telling her that he knew all he needed to know about her.

And how she'd cried in her bed after he downloaded the 2.0, when she'd decided to stay.

All the memories that had any meaning to her included him. That only made her realize she was making the right decision and she had nothing to be afraid of. This was going to work. _They_ were going to make it work.

Taking one last look to the room, she whispered "Goodbye" and walked out the green door for the last time.

In her way to the apartment, Sarah started to think how she was going to break the news to Chuck. After all, they hadn't talked about the moving in since she'd said no a couple of days before. It was a huge step in their relationship and she wanted to do it right. Before she knew it, she was parking in front of the apartment complex. She started to freak out as she realized she had nothing. _Ok, calm down, Walker! He's your boyfriend! You know this is what he wants, just go and tell him you want this too._

Taking a deep breath, she grabbed two bags and got out of the car. She saw Chuck and Morgan standing at Ellie and Devon's apartment, the door open.

"Oh my god!" the inside was a mess, everything looked broken or scratched and there was a very unpleasant smell coming out from somewhere in the living room.

"Great, you're here. Guys, we have to get this place fixed up before Devon and Ellie get back" Chuck was right, she thought, but that could wait a little bit…

"Well, actually, I was gonna start with _our_ place" she looked up at him with an expectant smile.

Chuck seemed confused "_Our_ place?"

"That is if your offer for me to move in still stands?"

"Yeah" his huge grin could only compete with her own. He let out a delighted laugh and wrapped his arms around her back and kissed her fervently. She eagerly responded and they were still smiling when they had to break the kiss to reach for air.

"Ok, let's go get your stuff!" he was really excited and kept smiling while he took her hand and started dragging her towards her car. She opened the trunk and noticed he was looking at her with a mix of surprise and pure joy.

"What?"

"Nothing, I just thought… we had to go back to the hotel to get them".

"I checked out about twenty minutes ago" she confessed, waiting for his reaction. He hugged her again and whispered in her ear "Thank you, Sarah. You won't regret this, I promise. I love you".

Every time he said that, two things happened to Sarah: a giant lump formed in her throat and a big smile broke into her face. This time was no exception, and while she knew she wasn't ready to say it back, she tightened her arms around him and swallowed hard, praying that he understood she loved him just as much. He finally stepped back and got the three suitcases out of the car.

They took them into the apartment and he encouraged her to put all of her stuff wherever she needed them to be. He immediately made room in the closet and cleared the nightstand and two drawers for her. When he offered to help her unpack her clothes, she gently told him they would deal with that later.

After she'd set all her bathroom products, she grabbed a handbag and headed to the living room. She pulled out two framed pictures of them, which surprised Chuck, 'cause he'd only seen the one they had taken in Palm Springs and he didn't think she'd have any others.

He was very pleased to be wrong. The first one was at his sister's wedding, and the other one from that horribly awkward Valentine's Day last year. They had both been for cover and both taken when they weren't at the best point of their relationship, but he knew they were both real.

He stood behind the couch while she put them on the shelf above the fireplace.

"I'm sorry that I freaked out when you asked me to move in with you" Sarah said, "it's just… you know how I grew up. I spent my life living in hotel rooms under fake names. I've been trained to survive a thousand different situations in the field, but nobody ever taught me how to have a normal life".

"Well, I hate to break it to you, but I don't think we're ever going to live a normal life"

"Well, I'd like to have something to fall back on when our spy life is over".

He just smiled and leaned to kiss her. She looked at him with pure love in her eyes, wishing she could tell him how much she loved him already.

It was only hours later, while she was lying beside Chuck in his bed –_their_ bed, she reminded herself, smiling for what she felt was the gazillion time that day – that she allowed herself to take it all in.

Never, not even in her wildest dreams, had she ever imagined she would be living this life. She never thought she would be the kind of girl that falls in love and settles down. Not that she didn't believe in love, she just didn't believe in love for herself. And it had only taken one tall, lanky, and incredibly good looking nerd with kind eyes to change her mind.

She snuggled closer to the man who had changed her life in so many different ways and buried her face in the crook of his neck, inhaling deeply and sighing contently when she felt his scent fill her senses. She closed her eyes and started to doze off, the smile never leaving her face.

She was finally home.

**A/N:** so, that's it. I hope you liked it. If you did, or if you didn't, please leave a review. Until next time.


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